Improvement in boiler-feeders



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UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

S. H. WHEELER, OF DOVVAGIAC, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR T0 HIMSELF, RICHARDHEDDON, ROBERT TUTTLE, AND I). D. BEUKVI'IH, 0F SAME PLAGE.

IMPROVEMENT lN BOILEHfFEEDEPtS.

Specitication forming part of Letters Patent N0. 44.922, dated Novemberl, 1864.

To all 'whom it may concern Be it known that I., S. H. IVHEELER, ofDowagiac, Cass county, State of Michigan, have invented a new andImproved Feed- Water Apparatus for Steam'Boilers 5 and I do herebydeclaie that the following is a full, clear, and exact descriptionthereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making' apart ot' this specification, in which- Figure l is a vertical sectionalelevation of my invention applied to a steamboiler. Fig. 2 is a top viewot' Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspondin g parts in theseveral figures.

The object ot this invention is to keep up a uniform quantity of waterin steam-boilers as far as practicable by means of a vessel of waterarranged outside ot' and communicating with the interior ofthe boiler insuch manner as to rise and fall automatically and to open and close thevalve in the feed-pipe, as will be h )reinafter described.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willdescribe its construction and operation.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents a steam boiler ofthe ordinaryconstruction, and B represents a vessel of any suitable capacity forcontaining water, which is to be transferred to the boiler A. Throughthe center of the vessel B passes a vertical pipe, c, which communicateswith the interior ot' this vessel through the two openings b b', andwhich also communicates with the boiler A through the two horizontalpipes c a2, one of which leads into the bottom of the boiler, while theother leads from the top ofthe boiler into the top of the vessel B, asclearly shown 'in Fig. 1. The vessel B should he of sufficient strengthto resist the pressure of the steam, which has a free communication withit from the boiler, through the steam-pipe a; and this vessel should beso applied to the vertical pipe a passing through it that it will freelyrise and descend without leaking materially at the joints c c. Thisvessel B is suspended by a chain, d, which passes over a pulley, df, andcarries on its opposite end a weight, c, by means of which latter thevessel B is caused to rise as the water gradually iiows from it into theboiler A to preserve a uniform level in said boiler. Vessel B isconnected, by means or" a rod, c', to the crank-arm d2 of a valve, f,which latter is arranged in the feed-pipe C, and by the rising andfalling movements of said vessel this valve is operated andthe supplyot' water is caused or checked. When water is supplied to the vessel Bor boiler A by any suitable method now practiced in the art to which myinvention appertains, it will l be evident that there will be anequilibrium between the two vessels; or, in other words, that the waterwill always preserve the same level in both the boiler and movablevessel, there being a free communication between them, and whatever maybe the pressure of steam in one vessel the same pressure will bepreserved in the other. The weight c, which operates by its gravity toraise the vessel B, is only counterbalanced when the greater quantity ofwater is in this vessel and boiler. When this is the case, the vessel Bwill be at its lowest point and the supply of water through feed-pipe Cwill be cut oit', as represented in black lines, Fig. l. As the water inthe boiler A is converted into steam, that which is in the vessel B willtlow in to supply its place, and as the water leaves this vessel B andit becomes lighter the weight c will cause it to rise until it reaches acertain point, when the valve j" willopen and admit ofa fresh supply ofwater to this vessel, causing it to descend until said valve is againclosed and the further supply cut oft'.

Instead of constructing the feeder or water vessel B to rise and fall onthe pipe a, said vessel may be secured pei manently to the pipe ce, andthe horizontal pipes a a2 provided with flexible joints, so that thewhole will rise and fall automatically in the operation or" feeding theboiler and opening or closing the valve in the feed-pipe. \V ith thisarrangement the feed-pipe, and also the pulley d', should not move, buthave some established place, so that the weight c can operate on thevessel B and elevate it as its contents diminish. By either arrangementit will be seen that I can always maintain a certain quantity of waterin the boiler whether the engine be in motion or at rest, for howeverrapidly the water in the boiler is consumed the supply will be inv thesame ratioi. c., in proportion to the consump tion of water in theboiler the feeding-vessel will be elevated by the gravity of the loadsupporting it and the water in both lvessels will maintain a constantlevel, which is represented by the Water-line in Fig. 2.

I am aware that yioats or buoys have been used within steam-boilers, andalso Within vessels arranged outside of the boilers and communicatingtherewith by means of steam and Water pipes 5 but in all such devicesfor supplying Water to boilers the operation depends upon the rising andfalling ofthe Water iu the boilers or in the vessels outside of them,and hence the Water does not maintain a constant or uniform level at alltimes, but by my invention the vessel containing the feed-water iscaused to rise and thus empty its Water into the boiler as rapidly asthe Water in the boiler is converted into steam and consumed.

l operating substantially as set forth.

S. H. WHEELER Witnesses STRAWTHER BOWLING, UZZIEL PUTNAM, Jr.

